Ron Howard Exhumes Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Graveyard Book’ for Disney

Last year, Disney and director Henry Selick united to make a stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s kiddie novel The Graveyard Book, and all was right with the world. As of last summer, the project – which was scheduled for release this fall – bit the dust when Disney chairman Alan Horn stopped production over scheduling and development conflicts. Now, six months later, the film could rise again in the hands of a different director.

Ron Howard, according to THR, is in negotiations to helm the juvenile horror work, which follows the character Nobody Owens, a boy who’s adopted by ghosts after his family is murdered. The film is a big jump for Howard, who’s currently doing post-production on his racing biopic Rush, starring Chris Hemsworth. His involvement also means big changes for the property, including a new script and the possibility of Howard producing through his company, Imagine Entertainment. Those who were hoping for another Coraline might also be disappointed – with Howard, it’s a whole new, possibly live-action game. Either way, we’ll keep you updated.